Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2016 7:56 am
The technique did enter India during the second (Arabic-language) transmission of astrology from the north-west, if not during the first (Greek-language) one. But it was misunderstood or simplified in exactly the way you describe and apparently didn't catch on. The simplified version is described briefly in the ?????????? Manu?yaj?taka (the original title of which seems to have been ?????????? Karmaprak??a).
In a way, the year itself can be seen as a sub-period within the period related to any given terms (their divisio or qisma in Arabic, Sanskritized as kisim?), and the months, etc, as sub-sub-periods. But the Indian T?jika authors treat the year as the greatest unit and invent various da?? systems to subdivide the year, sometimes adapting or 'creatively misunderstanding' Perso-Arabic techniques.
In a way, the year itself can be seen as a sub-period within the period related to any given terms (their divisio or qisma in Arabic, Sanskritized as kisim?), and the months, etc, as sub-sub-periods. But the Indian T?jika authors treat the year as the greatest unit and invent various da?? systems to subdivide the year, sometimes adapting or 'creatively misunderstanding' Perso-Arabic techniques.